


chasing shooting stars

by laehys



Series: eyes full of stars [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Domestic Fluff, Feelings, M/M, Multi, space cottagecore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 03:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30015594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys
Summary: "That's not a shooting star," Doyoung says, confused, as he watches the trail it leaves across the starry sky, "it's not a shooting star," he repeats."What?"Doyoung sits up and Kun follows suit, their gazes focused on the figure that falls fallsfalls—"That's a spaceship," Doyoung mumbles. "Oh,god, not again."or: Ten finally returns.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Qian Kun
Series: eyes full of stars [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140218
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	chasing shooting stars

**Author's Note:**

> final part!  
> thank you for following this little project with me <3

"I think we can start gathering those little pink berries," Kun says, "last time I tried them, they were already very sweet. I think they must be all ripe by now."

Doyoung hums. With his eyes closed, he can only feel the breeze of the night ruffling through his hair, his clothes. "The ones that grow close to the sea or the ones from the blue trees?"

It's night and the starry sky shines brightly upon them, the two moons watching them from their far-away place. It's not really that cold, just a chill breeze that reminds them that it might rain later that night, but it's enough for Kun to have brought a blanket outside with him and for Doyoung to cuddle up on his side, arm wrapped around Kun's waist and head pillowed on his chest, listening to his heartbeats as he breathes in the scent of the end of another day spent together.

"The one from the blue trees," Kun answers. His voice is low and a little raspy, reverberating through his chest in a way that allows Doyoung to feel it from where his head rests. "You know what, love? We should give them some names... We always get them mixed up."

"Yeah, I guess... But it's so much trouble to remember all the names though... It's easier to call them by their colors."

"Until almost all of them share the same color and you can't discern from which one I'm talking about."

Doyoung makes a little noise as he scrunches up his nose. "I _guess_... You can pick up the names, I'll just call them whatever I want."

Kun huffs. "It doesn't work like that, dear. You need to use them too or it won't make any sense."

But Doyoung smiles against Kun's chest, opening his eyes to meet his gaze from where he is. "I know you're gonna have lots of fun just creating the names even if _you_ never use them, so just go ahead and start planning them all, baby."

Kun can't really deny that when he _had_ named all the plants and things on their first week on that planet. They had forgotten all the names with time, too many things to remember, but Kun had tried to do the same thing multiple times with the same results; Doyoung just wasn't bothered enough to remember it all and Kun liked to come up with different things, explaining the reason behind his every choice.

"Okay," Kun answers, "but you're going to use them this time, okay?"

"Sure, baby."

They exchange a glance and Kun sighs, shaking his head. A smile spreads across his lips and he hugs Doyoung closer to him, dropping a quick kiss on the crown of his head. "The white flowers that grow next to the cliffs could be called _starglow_. I think it's very fitting, don't you?"

Doyoung hums. There's nowhere else in the entire universe that he'd feel more at peace than at Kun's side, so just being able to lay next to him every single day of his life, calmly listening to his heartbeat and hearing every thought that crosses his mind, is something that Doyoung cherishes deeply.

Kun doesn't wait for Doyoung to answer before he continues to come up with new names, Doyoung closing his eyes at some point with Kun's sweet voice lulling his mind into a relaxed state, feeling fingers brushing against his hip in random patterns that makes goosebumps spread across his skin.

"Look, Doie, a shooting star!"

 _That_ grabs Doyoung's attention and he snaps his eyes open as he moves a little, trying to follow Kun's outstretched finger and find the glowing dot among the night sky filled with stars.

The first time he'd kissed Kun had been after a whispered promise under a meteor shower. _Nothing will change between us_ , he had said, warm breath making a fog escape from his lips. But Kun had shaken his head as he laced his fingers together with Doyoung's. _Everything will change_ , Kun had said, his cheeks pink and lips even pinker, _and it'll change for the better._ Shooting stars had fallen around them and the sky lightened up with the universe's show, but Doyoung could only focus on the shape of Kun's lips against his and on Kun's taste upon his tongue.

A shooting star would make its lonely way across the sky and they'd make another promise to each other. _I'll cherish every moment we spend together until the end of my days. My home is wherever you are and I'll follow you until the end of the universe. I'll always come back to you even if you don't wait for me anymore. I'll take care of your love for it's the most precious thing I could ever have._

So when Kun calls for another shooting star, Doyoung looks up with a light heart and a wish already on his lips, but instead of another promise of love, he gasps. "That's not a shooting star," he says, confused, as he watches the trail it leaves across the starry sky, "it's not a shooting star," he repeats.

Kun makes a confusing noise. "What?"

Doyoung sits up and Kun follows suit, their gazes focused on the figure that falls falls _falls_ —

"That's a spaceship," Doyoung mumbles. "Oh, _god_ , not again."

They get up in a flash, sprinting far away from their home. The spaceship falls but it's not as fast as it had been a long time ago — a bright flash, fire across the blue sky, the earth shaking —, this time it falls slower and Kun and Doyoung manage to get close to the cliffs and above the sea just as the spaceship crashes against the waves, being brought towards the shore by the water. There are no pieces of metal raining down or smoke going up to join the clouds, so Doyoung releases a relieved breath when the spaceship hits the sand safely.

"He surely knows how to make an entrance," Kun says, his voice so low it could almost get lost among the whisper of the wind.

Doyoung can't turn his eyes away from the sight of the spaceship. He nods his head, a sob stuck in his throat, no words managing to come out, but Kun only hugs his side and rests his head against Doyoung's.

In silence, they watch as the water laps at the metal before the airlock opens, the two moons welcoming back the far-away traveler.

🪐

Kun still has water dripping from his hands when he hears the creaking of a door opening and sprints towards the source of the noise.

It's not Ten who's finally up and in search of something, but it's Doyoung who holds the doorknob tightly and has his eyes focused on the sleeping figure inside the room.

"Let him rest," Kun says, wiping his hands on the end of his shirt. He's careful to not be too loud, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "Don't wake him up."

Doyoung rolls his eyes good-naturedly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'm just looking."

"Don't bother him," Kun continues saying, hand outstretched to wrap around Doyoung's arm. "He needs to sleep."

"I'm not bothering him, love. I'm just... looking."

Kun's hand slides down from Doyoung's forearm to his hand, fingers intertwining together, and they stay side by side in silence for a while, carefully watching the rise and fall of Ten's chest. He's been sleeping for most of the day, having woken up lost and confused once, but having fallen back asleep straight away.

"How are you feeling?" Doyoung asks. He squeezes Kun's hand and turns his head to the side to catch his eye.

Kun bites his lower lip. They step back and close the door of the room Ten's staying in. The one he'd been in before. _His room_.

The light that comes from the window is just enough to create little spots of gold on Doyoung's face, and Kun's fingers twitch with the need to brush them away even though he knows he can't make them vanish. Doyoung's eyes are curious even when there's a little furrow in between his brows.

"I can't believe this is real," Kun admits.

Doyoung takes a deep breath and nods his head, his gaze sweeping over the closed door. “I get it,” he says. “It’s almost like a dream, right? Having him back?”

“Yeah...”

Later that night, under the blankets, they repeat the same thing through hushed whispers. The windows of their room are open, the night breeze keeping them pressed tight against each. There’s no light lit, but the moonlight, the stars, and the glowing plants outside of their home are more than enough to let them see each other’s faces.

Kun has a nervous smile that Doyoung kisses away, even though he also sports it when they pull apart. It’s impossible not to feel somewhat jittery.

“It must mean something, right?” Doyoung breaks the silence after a while. They’re lying on their sides, just looking at each other, faces pressed against the pillows. “Him coming back… Maybe he’ll stay…”

One of Doyoung’s hands is in between his and Kun’s body, and Kun plays with his fingers with his free hand, intertwining their fingers together, pulling them back, rubbing the pad of his fingers over Doyoung’s knuckles. Just touching him all the time.

“I guess we’ll find out.” It’s all that Kun says. “Things will definitely change.”

“I hope so.”

“Me too…”

Kun tilts his head a little to the side, slotting his lips together with Doyoung in a small and innocent kiss, lips barely brushing. He smiles against his mouth, pecking him on the lower lip before moving back and Doyoung can’t hold a smile back from forming on his face.

Kun just has the power to bring him so many emotions, to make him feel _so much_ all the time. It’s impossible to not feel so loved, so appreciated, every time that Kun just even _glances_ at him. It fills his heart with so much joy that it overflows, spreading all over his body and taking over him completely.

Doyoung’s sure that any love that comes from him is originally from Kun.

Some of their nights were loud and full of laughter, giggles echoing through the house until the sun was rising on the horizon; sometimes their nights were filled with small voices and whispers, gentle smiles exchanged as one gazed sleepily at each other.

But this night is a little different as Kun and Doyoung exchange nervous looks and wavery smiles. They’re too aware of the other presence in the room next door, of the other heart that beats under their roof. Even a mumble feels too loud and like they could wake Ten up. Like a moment that could be broken.

And between hushed talks and intimate glances, caresses being exchanged, Kun asks, “Do you… want him to join us?”

Kun looks at him with soft eyes and an even softer smile. Always gentle, always caring. Doyoung brushes a quick kiss on the tip of Kun’s nose. “Do you wish he could be part of our relationship?” Doyoung asks instead.

“We’d need to talk with him first and see what he wants, what he thinks. What his plans for the future are.” Kun takes a deep breath before he smiles a little sheepishly. “He barely got here and I’m already talking about him staying…”

Doyoung shakes his head a little bit and holds Kun’s hand in his. “Do you want him?" He asks, even though he already knows the answer.

Kun lifts their joined hands and drops a fleeting kiss on the top of Doyoung’s knuckles before answering over his wrist, breath arm grazing the skin as he trails kisses down Doyoung’s forearm. “I think I do.”

🪐

This time Ten isn’t hurt, so it takes him almost no time to step out of the bed and join Kun and Doyoung outside.

It’s a little awkward at first after so much time spent away, having grown apart and experienced different things while gone, the departure from the planet leaving unsaid things and unresolved situations lingering behind.

But, at the same time, there’s the feeling of not needing to speak out loud about what’s already well known. It pulses in the air between them, something so strong and real that’s almost palpable. Maybe if Doyoung moved his hand just in the right way, he’d be able to touch and feel the _thing_ that floated in between them.

A possibility. An idea.

With Ten fully healed this time around, Doyoung and Kun take him to places he hadn’t seen before. They leave early in the morning, when the stars are still all in the sky and the sun has barely breached through the horizon, and climb the highest mountain until they reach the peak where they can watch the sunrise.

“It’s all ours,” Doyoung says with his arms wide open, staring straight ahead at the scenery that lays in front of them. From up there, it almost feels like they could see the entire planet laid just beneath their feet. “This is our place.”

“I’m sure the little fish from the pond doesn’t agree with that,” Ten says, breathing in the fresh air of a new dawn, eyes scanning the sight. He’d been in too many places before, seen countless things and sunrises, but that one felt different.

“Technically, it’s also ours. We did buy the planet with everything that’s here,” Kun adds from the side, a playful smile on his face that gets bigger when he sees the look that Ten throws in his direction. “Hey, not my fault the fish isn’t aware of that.”

They walk through the woods close to Kun and Doyoung’s home, but also bring Ten to the farthest ones, to some they’d barely been in before. Ten meets new animals and plants, face pressed close to the strange petals and beings, inspecting whatever catches his eye.

Some days are spent in their home — lazy days filled with a quiet and cozy atmosphere, laying down on the purple grass and watching as birds fly over the sky, the sunshine seeping into their bodies as time passes and the stars slowly take over.

When they go to the beach, where Ten’s spaceship is still on the shore, warm sand between their toes and salty air filling their lungs, Doyoung asks, “Isn’t it going to rust just staying here?”

He receives two pairs of eyes staring straight at him and two voices that raise at almost the same time — as a veteran traveler, Kun has his fair share of knowledge and information to share; the same as Ten who took pride and care in his ship and would tend to it whenever he could.

The nights are filled with laughter and talk, fires being lit in the fireplace, sometimes under the stars, sharing plates and glasses and stories, mirth dripping from shaky shoulders and wide grins. Most of the nights are fun and end with bellies hurting from laughing too much, but some end with heavy gazes and lingering touches that disappear behind a closed door, soon followed by distressed sighs and a mind burning with dreams of possibilities.

Doyoung and Kun show Ten the good places, the not-so-good ones, the hidden spots where berries flourished, the corner where the wild bugs would lay to rest when it becomes too cold. They show Ten his special glowing flower and watch as he doesn’t hesitate in diving inside the lake to retrieve it, smiling as the stem wraps around his wrist and continues to glow even when dead, specks of silver dust falling from the petals. Ten places his flower next to Doyoung’s on the table and they marvel at how both of them would glow together and light the entire room, mocking Kun for not having one like theirs.

On the side of the house, Ten builds a small place where he could work on his things with the scrap metal Kun and Doyoung had laying around and things he retrieves from his spaceship — he doesn’t destroy it and make sure it’s still functional, it still works, but Ten can’t stay still for too long; while rest was welcome, his fingers twitch with the need to build something, his mind filled with ideas, and soon Ten creates a working station for himself.

It’s a new routine and yet nothing changes until Ten is the one to take the next step forward. Kun’s fingers brush his arm and his touch lingers on Ten’s skin. Doyoung cooks and brings him food when he’s cooped up inside his working space for too long. But they do nothing more than that — just staring while he works, gazes curious as Ten rambles and explains things about a new build he’s creating, a new idea that crossed his mind.

They look and touch him gently, briefly talking and implying things, but they aren’t forward or take the leap to ask Ten straight in the face. There had been changes, something growing in the background, but it’s so slow, taking _so long_ , that Ten feels like it would take freaking years until they did _something_.

Anything.

So, on a sunny morning, when the birds are chirping and food is being cooked by a sleepy Doyoung, Ten walks until where Kun is watching the new day arrive from the side of a window, and he cups the side of Kun’s face before leaning in for a kiss.

It’s sweet and quick and it fills Ten with happiness. Doyoung smiles from his place, something sleepy and gummy and entirely heartwarming, and Ten can only smile back before he crosses the distance between them so he can kiss him too.

🪐

“Shouldn’t we talk about this?” Ten asks between a kiss, his breath getting knocked out of his lungs when another pair of lips suck at the junction between his neck and his shoulders, making his body tremble.

There are so many feelings running through his body, so many things that keep him on the edge and yet—yet, everything that Ten wants to do is to relish the tight grip he always kept around control. He wants to let it go, to dive headfirst into the unfamiliar, to savor everything around himself without worrying about _what-ifs_ and any consequences.

He doesn’t want to overthink.

It’s easy to forget about anything when there are lips upon his and warm hands over his body, but even though he now goes to another bed when he retires at night, Ten still _thinks_ about it and he can’t help himself when his doubts overflow from his mind and spill out of his mouth.

“Talk about what?” Doyoung asks, his voice muffled and slightly off when he answers, licking over a mark he left on Ten’s neck.

Ten closes his eyes and sighs, fingers tightening their grip on Kun’s hair. It would be easy to brush it all aside and ignore it once more. To let it become something for later and forget about it until it resurged out of nowhere, punching him in the middle of the chest.

“Us…” Ten mumbles. His lips are bitten-red and swollen, eyes half-closed in the middle of all the ecstasy. Kun’s mouth is sinful and Ten can’t say anything more for a while, too distracted by him. “About us.”

“What about us?” Kun is the one to ask this time. He pulls back enough to look Ten straight in the eye and Ten can’t help but let his eyes wander over the sight of him — with hair messy and face flushed, body strong and marked by different sets of lips, Kun looks more than just breathtaking.

Doyoung is still busy lavishing Ten’s neck, stealing sighs and little noises, hands holding him around the hips, brushing over his sides, wandering over his body as if he’d never be able to touch him again and needed to remember every inch.

“What are… we doing?”

 _Do you want me? Sometimes I feel like I’m part of it but I’m not sure. Can I also join? How does this all even_ works?

There are lots of questions running through his head, but Ten can’t manage to word any of them out when his mind is all muddled and he can only think about needing to feel the shape of Doyoung’s mouth against him.

“Do you want to stop?”

 _That_ catches Doyoung’s attention who stops everything he’s doing and pulls back, wide-eyed. There’s sweat dripping down his neck and gathering over his upper lip. “What?”

The good feelings and sensations still run through Ten’s body and he doesn’t want to stop just because his mouth worked differently from his brain, wording things not quite _right_.

“No,” he says quickly, even shaking his head to emphasize what he means, “I don’t want to stop. I just… I… Is this just for fun or…?”

There’s silence for a moment but Ten doesn’t turn his gaze away, looking from Kun to Doyoung after an answer. He’d crossed the cosmos for them, had crossed after something he hadn’t been quite right and because of a _hunch_ , but he’d done that. They’d never explicitly said anything, but the way they’d hold him gently, the way they’d kiss him and whisper things in his ear, the way they’d _make love_ to him had to mean something, right?

“For fun?” Doyoung echoes the words, furrowing his brow. Paired with the downturned of his lips and a little glimpse of hurt in his eyes, Ten just wants to lean forward and brush it all away from his expression. It doesn’t match with him — Doyoung fits with wide grins and crinkled eyes, cheeks raised from laughing.

“It’s not for fun,” Kun says, nervously licking over his lips. “Is that what you want?”

The question surprises Ten and he lets out a surprised wheeze. “What— _no_.”

It comes out immediately. He didn’t even hesitate, didn’t even think about his answer, but it’s enough for Doyoung to look at him with shiny eyes and a relieved expression, it’s enough for Kun’s shoulders to lose some of the tension that had gathered there.

“You guys just…” Ten continues speaking, trying to remember how words work. He didn’t expect for things to go that way — for it all to happen like that. After moons together, sharing a bed and exchanging intimate touches, it had all spilled out of him from what it seemed out of nowhere. “...we never talked. We just…”

“Kissed and fucked?” Doyoung prompts, raising one eyebrow. He stretches his arms over his head and groans, laying down on the bed on his back.

Kun makes a distressed noise from the side, expression solemn. He looks constipated and when Ten says that, a little smile tug at the corner of his lips. “I’m really sorry… We… I talked with Doyoung about this before, about talking with you, about being open but…”

 _But._ Kun didn’t need to be more specific, Ten could understand it easily. Sometimes it was easier to just stay in the safe zone and pretend like everyone was on the same wavelength as you, like everyone knew what was going inside your mind and just rolling with it. To speak something outside of it was to give the power to the universe to change things and make dynamics falter.

And, after crossing entire universes with his heart beating fast and squeezing painfully inside his chest, the last thing Ten wanted was for things to change for the worse from what he had with them.

And he tries to explain that, tries to make sense of what goes through his mind, but words have never been his strong point when under pressure. Still, they listen and nod and apologize.

Doyoung uses one hand to rub hard over his own face. “I’m sorry for not talking. I’m not very good at this adult thing of talking about feelings sometimes.”

“It’s okay, it’s just—”

“It wasn’t okay,” Kun adds quickly, cutting Ten off. There’s a stubborn frown that doesn’t leave his face even after Ten nudges at it with his forefinger. “Communication is very important and we fucked up. But, Ten… just so you know, I want you. I like you a lot and I want you to be part of us.”

It almost feels like there’s a flying animal stuck inside his chest, fluttering and making his heart race. Ten nods, swallowing dry. “That’s good,” he tries to say and coughs when his voice cracks just a little. “I…”

Words fail him once more, but it’s okay because they can all see from the big smile on his face what he means. Doyoung kisses him square on the lips and Kun tries to make them all talk, but at that point, they aren’t with the right mindset for that. It’s enough to just be clear where they stand on everything and Ten can’t stop smiling for even one second.

He sighs and takes deep breaths and moans and sobs. There’s a space for him in that bed and Ten rests easily.

🪐

They do talk because that’s what adults do: they explain what they feel and think and try to make things work when they want something.

Kun and Doyoung have been settled on that planet for years now and are very happy with their current life, and while Ten thinks that he could also find a lot of joy in that place, in between them, he isn’t ready to abandon the only life he’d ever known before that.

But because they’re adults and communication is apparently something that Kun and Doyoung are very keen on, Ten tries to explain that in the best way he can. They eagerly listen to what he has to say and seem to be very understanding of it all; Ten discovers that Kun used to travel across the universe and come back to Doyoung every single time, no matter how long it took, and that lights a spark of hope in him.

For a long time, traveling had been the only thing he’d ever known. He loves it and it’s ingrained deep into his bones, it’s part of his essence and what makes him _him_. 

"I don't want to be held back," he says one day safe under the blankets and hidden by the cover of the night. He can’t see them but can hear their breathing, the noises that the rustling of sheets make. “I like it here but I also want to travel.”

It’s Kun who replies. "You're free to do whatever you want. If you choose to stay, we'll cherish every moment we spend together until you get to leave again. And then we'll keep waiting until you come back again."

“We can throw a party for every time you come back,” Doyoung says. “When Kun used to leave for big trips, we’d have a small gathering when he arrived. So we can start something just for you too.”

It brings tears to his eyes immediately. Ten doesn’t know exactly why, but the back of his throat burns and he sniffs once. “If you say it like that then I’ll just keep coming and leaving so I get this kind of reception and treatment every time.”

Someone laughs and the bed moves. Suddenly, there are arms around Ten’s middle and holding him tight.

“We never did big parties because Kun didn’t like them. You don't really have the option to choose here though, sorry. Unless you want to invite some of the animals so you can have a big party, I guess...”

“It’s okay, I’ll pass that.”

Ten feels the brushing of kisses on his face, the way hands hold him gently, tender caresses on his skin as he sinks in against that warmth, that comforting presence.

“We can discover and learn together. Create something just for you. Maybe not a party like it was for me, but something else.”

“Together… That sounds like a nice idea.”

Their voices almost mix together like that — when they’re so close, bare skin against bare skin, heart to heart. Ten wants nothing more than to drown in both of them. To stay there in the middle and surrounded by so much love and affection that it almost feels like he shouldn’t be allowed to get close to it.

Still, someone kisses him on the corner of his mouth, a smile against his cheek, a hum against his ear. They whisper about future plans and promises, throwing around different ideas and concepts, and Ten wants. He wants it all. And he wants to discover all of them together with both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twt](https://twitter.com/pinkhrj) | [ccat](https://curiouscat.me/rensungie) ]


End file.
